Association of Aflatoxin Exposure and Height-For-Age among Young Children in Guatemala

Abstract

Aflatoxin exposure has been proposed to affect child height-for-age. The following hypothesized associations were tested in Guatemala: (1) aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, G2) exposure and environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) and child height-for-age z-score; and (2) aflatoxin exposures and subsequent symptoms of aflatoxins. Maize consumption data, health data, and samples of maize from households were collected from mothers and their children–under five–in October 2016 (n = 320) and February 2017 (n = 120). Maize samples were tested for aflatoxin levels and maize consumption data were used to compute an aflatoxin exposure level. Results suggest that there was a significant negative correlation between the putative aflatoxin exposure level and child height-for-age z-score (-0.073, p = 0.030), but not for EED. Furthermore, aflatoxin exposure was significantly correlated with aflatoxin symptoms only at the same time point (0.123, p = 0.026). These results support the potential need for engineered solutions to household aflatoxin transmission problems in rural communities of Guatemala.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Aflatoxins; Abnormality; Age; Child health; Correlation; Height; Maize; Numerical model; Pollution exposure; Rural population; Symptom; Toxin; Young population; Age; Article; Body height; Body weight; Child; Child growth; Data processing; Diarrhea; Drug exposure; Female; Guatemala; Household; Human; Laboratory test; Major clinical study; Male; Prevalence; Public health; Rural population; Stomach pain; Urban area; Analysis; Body height; Environmental exposure; Food contamination; Preschool child; Guatemala [Central America]; Zea mays; Preschool; Environmental Exposure; Food Contamination; Guatemala; Humans; Male; Zea mays; Child stunting; Enteric dysfunction; Structural equation modeling

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0960-3123

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2018 Taylor & Francis, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Apr 2018

PubMed ID

29706087

Link to Full Text

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